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Paving on U.S. 491 North of Cortez Almost Complete

Colorado Department of Transportation

Crews are putting the final touches on a new road surface for Highway 491 north of Cortez this week.

According to a release, the Colorado Department of Transportation plans to add a final layer of new asphalt between County Road M and Highway 184. The project began in May, and has included resurfacing a nine-mile stretch of highway between Cortez and Lewis, replacing drainages, and touching up intersections on driveways and county roads. After crews finish the last section, they will add final striping, finish smoothing intersections, and replace signage. The project is scheduled for completion by mid October.

2016 estimates found that approximately 5,900 vehicles travel the stretch of highway each day. CDOT says to expect single-lane alternating traffic between 7am and 7pm this week until crews finish paving.

Austin Cope is a former Morning Edition host for KSJD and now produces work on a freelance basis for the station. He grew up in Cortez and hosted a show on KSJD when he was 10 years old. After graduating from Montezuma-Cortez High School in 2010, he lived in Belgium, Ohio, Spain, northern Wyoming, and Himachal Pradesh, India before returning to the Cortez area. He has a degree in Politics from Oberlin College in Ohio.
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